How to make mince pies

How to make mince pies

How to make mince pies

25 November 2015

How to make mince pies

Mince pies are a somewhat of a necessity this time of year, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the kids leaving a mince pie for Santa with a glass of milk and a carrot for Rudolf. If you have the time try making your own shortcrust pastry and mincemeat. Mince pies will keep for a few days in an airtight container.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

  • 500g of shortcrust pastry
  • 250g of mincemeat
  • milk, for glazing
  • icing sugar, for dusting
1
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
2
Flour the work surface and roll the pastry out to a thickness of 3mm, keeping turning it 90 degrees as you roll, this will help keep it even
3
Cut the pastry out with a 8cm diameter cutter
4
Transfer the circles into a shallow buttered tin and push down gently with your fingers
5
Place a generous spoonful of mincemeat into each case
6
Cut out lids with a smaller cutter
7
Place the lids on top of the mincemeat and press down gently to seal
8
Brush the pastry with a little milk to glaze
9
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown
10
Sprinkle with icing sugar to serve

Variations

For a lighter version try making your mince pies with puff pastry in place of shortcrust, you could even use filo pastry for something a little different. Try topping your mince pies with a spoonful of frangipane as Shay Cooper does in his Mince pie recipe. Adam Byatt’s Mincemeat puffs are a fun alternative to the traditional mince pie, and just as easy to whip up.

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